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Hanson's take on Sherman is that at Shiloh, he was repelled by the losses inflicted on what he saw as innocent conscripts and vowed to take the fight to the southern aristocracy that had started the war. Consequently, he fought a new kind of war, which targeted infrastructure, but was remarkably bloodless, despite the rhetoric to the contrary. He inflicted tremendous material damage, but used maneuver to avoid casualties. Grant sustained a far bloodier campaign against Lee, by constantly engaging him in battle, but Sherman, who humiliated the south, is far more hated.

Forrest was one of the founders of the Klan, not the sole founder. He was elected to office. He also renounced and left the Klan around 1869 and ordered it to disband.

This, from PBS of all places:

After only a year as Grand Wizard, in January 1869, faced with an ungovernable membership employing methods that seemed increasingly counterproductive, Forrest issued KKK General Order Number One: "It is therefore ordered and decreed, that the masks and costumes of this Order be entirely abolished and destroyed."

In 1875, shortly before his death, he advocated for the admission of blacks into law school — and he lived to fully renounce his involvement with the Klan.

No, we'll agree on Sheridan. Grant's antisemitic General Order 11 remains one of the major blots on his record, although he subsequently appointed a number of Jews to high positions in his administration. However, he was an effective fighter, and, like Babe Ruth, gets points for accomplishing his greatest achievements while drunk.

Had I been able to perform as magnificently as US Grant under the influence in my own career, I feel that I would have probably been promoted to Vice Admiral in short order. Alas, I retired a lowly senior NCO.

There are plenty of republicans at Free Republic who have been threatening to seccede over President Obama. The DUmmies don't represent all democrats any more the the Freepers represent all republicans.

Whatever is left of the membership of FR, I think, can hardly be classified by any reasonable person as "Republican" whereas the DUmmies share much of the philosophy of what has become of the Democrat party.